Local records analysts provide on-site training to local agencies. Our prepared workshops include:
Managing Public Records: Law and Practice in North Carolina – our basic introduction to the Public Records law and records management. Includes email and electronic records management.
Scanning Public Records: Laying the Groundwork – considerations and procedures to establish an imaging system.
Disaster Preparedness and Recovery – an introduction to disaster planning, response and recovery.
Email: What to Keep and How – for those especially concerned with email retention, archiving, and public records requests.
We also develop custom workshops. There is no charge for training. If you prefer, you can schedule for a records management analyst and/or archivist to visit your office and conduct a consultation.
State Agency Workshops
Training is available to all state employees interested in learning more about records management (including the Public Records Law and how to create or update an office’s retention schedule), electronic, paper, and subject filing systems, handling e-mail, and handling electronic records.
All workshops will be held at the State Records Center, 215 North Blount Street, Raleigh, NC, located directly across the street from the Governor’s Mansion.
There is no charge for this training.
We also offer on-site workshops when requested. We can customize on-site workshops to suit the audience.
Introduction to Managing Public Records
This presentation covers public access to records; records with special characteristics such as confidential or essential records; managing, storing, and retrieving records and helping assure their accuracy and reliability; and the security of paper and electronic files. This workshop will also provide you with an introduction to the public records law in North Carolina and to basic records management principles. You will learn about the General Schedule for State Agency Records and how a schedule is developed for your agency’s unique program records. Includes discussion and tour of the State Records Center, its services and facilities. This workshop answers questions like "What do I do when the Fire Marshal wants our records out the hallway?" "How do I provide access to records containing both confidential and non-confidential information?"
Organizing Your Digital and Paper Files
For the vast majority of offices, maintaining records is still a daily factor in office work.
This workshop provides concrete examples of how to organize and maintain active paper and electronic files in an efficient, easy-to-use system, designed for personnel who desire something better than a strictly alphabetical filing system, or who are challenged with organizing e-mail and other electronic documents on their desktop PC.
The Digital Divide Also Multiplies: Your Responsibilities for Managing E-mail
Every day, vast quantities of public records are created through the e-mail accounts of public employees. As public records, your e-mail messages must be retained, destroyed, and managed according to legal mandate. However, these accounts quickly become overwhelming, and many public employees do not understand their legal responsibilities regarding e-mail retention. This workshop will help you learn how to properly manage, retain and dispose of your e-mail.
Bits, Bytes, and Backups: The Basics of Electronic Public Records
Many government employees mistakenly presume that their IT department is responsible for managing electronic public records. Public records laws, however, apply to electronic records just as they do paper records, meaning that as the record creator, you are responsible for maintaining your electronic public records in accordance with your records retention and disposition schedules. Electronic records pose unique and often unexpected challenges to records management. In this workshop you will learn about the special problems associated with electronic records and basic preservation and access techniques.
Digitizing Public Records: Legal, Technical, and Practical Concerns
Many state agencies are considering imaging their public records in order to reduce storage costs and to "go paperless." This introductory workshop provides the guidance you will need to get started, while ensuring you are in compliance with public records laws. Topics covered include legal issues relating to digitized images and creating trustworthy records, the technical aspects of digital imaging, and important considerations when selecting vendors. This presentation will also provide you with questions to consider, including "Is scanning the right option for my office?", "What is all this technical information from the vendor?", and "How do I select the right vendor for my project?" A vendor is usually invited to speak at the workshop, and you may contact our office to inquire further.
Please fill out a Workshop Registration Form to register for a workshop. If you have any questions, please contact Gail Elliott at gaill.elliott@ncdcr.gov or (919) 807-7350.
Workshop schedule subject to change depending upon demand.
In addition to the face-to-face workshops, the Government Records Branch offers a series on on-line tutorial for state agency and local official. See the list below for more details.
Managing Public Records for Local Government Agencies This tutorial takes about 45 minutes to complete. It includes information on the Public Records Law, Records Management, and using the Records Retention and Disposition Schedule. The tutorial also features brief overviews of Electronic Records Management, e-mail, scanning, and disaster preparation.
Managing Public Records for State Agencies
Tutorial is for state agency employees, and covers the public records laws in North Carolina that govern management of public records by state agencies including access to public records, basic records management principles, confidential and vital records, and use of records retention and disposition schedules to manage state agency’s public records. Brief overviews of electronic records and e-mail management, scanning public records, and disaster preparedness are also provided. Take the tutorial at any time by following this link.
Managing Your Inbox: E-mail as a Public Record
This online tutorial combining an introduction to public records, electronic records, and handling e-mail. Take the tutorial at any time by following this link.
Managing Electronic Public Records: Recognizing Perils and Avoiding Pitfalls This 45-minute, online workshop is based on the Bits, Bytes, and Backups: The Basics of Electronic Public Records workshop offered at the State Records Center. It will introduce public employees to public records law in North Carolina and its special implications for electronic records. In this workshop you will learn about the laws that govern your records management responsibilities, the unexpected problems associated with electronic records, and basic electronic preservation and access techniques.
Social Media Usage in North Carolina State Government
Social Media Usage in North Carolina State Government is a 5 part video series provided on YouTube that explains how North Carolina state government agencies can utilize social media sites to reach citizens in new ways; discusses acceptable use of social media and security concerns; and gives an overview of preservation and records retention of social media as public records. Take these tutorials at any time by following this link.
Digital Preservation Tutorials - Digital Preservation Education for North Carolina State Government Employees
This State Library of North Carolina site contains many resources related to digital preservation, including online tutorials produced within North Carolina and nationally. Particularly useful is their series on file naming. This brief, 4-part tutorial will help you gain control over your computer files and prep them for long-term preservation by implementing some very basic file naming strategies.